Journalist-turned-politician Nurlanbek Turgunbekovich Shakiev has been a household name in Kyrgyzstan for more than two decades.
The speaker of parliament recently announced that he had legally changed his last name to Turgunbek uuly, abandoning his Russified patronymic and surname.
"I did not come to this decision overnight. It has been a longstanding dream of mine," Turgunbek uuly wrote in a Facebook post in which he stressed the importance of national identity, language, religion, and traditions.
On February 6, Kyrgyzstan's parliament adopted a bill promoting traditional Kyrgyz last names and "expanding the choice of surnames in line with Kyrgyz customs and cultural characteristics," according to its authors.
Styling surnames in line with national tradition became a popular trend in Kyrgyzstan and other Central Asian countries after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
The enthusiasm faded, however, as a widespread poverty in the region forced millions of Central Asians to migrate to Russia in search of work. Several migrants workers who spoke to RFE/RL said it was easier to then adopt Russified surnames.
The trend is making a comeback again, though, with some experts linking it to the changing mood following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which many in the region oppose.
What Has Changed?
In the early 2000s, tens of thousands of Kyrgyz changed their last names, removing the Russian suffixes of -ov/-ev and -ova/eva for men and women, respectively, in favor or the Kyrgyz endings -uuly and -kyzy.
The new Kyrgyz bill offers multiple versions of patronymics and surnames styled in line with national customs, such as the unisex ending of -tegi, or the -din and -den suffixes for men's and women's last names, respectively.
The bill also says Kyrgyz citizens are free to choose Russified last names, should they prefer. Members of various ethnic groups are free to style their names according to their own national traditions.
'Pure Tajik'
Tajikistan is the only country in Central Asia that has officially banned Russian-style last names in 2016.
Dushanbe has also ordered its citizens to give their children "pure" Tajik first names, with the government even issuing a catalog of recommended first names for babies. The move has been widely seen as an effort to combat the growing popularity of Arabic and Islamic names.
Tajik President Emomali Rahmon changed his Russified last name in 2007, the only head of state in Central Asia to do so.
Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan adopted new laws in the mid-1990s allowing their citizens to style their names according to national tradition.
Most Uzbeks kept their Russified surnames, while in Kazakhstan traditional last names have gained popularity, especially among the cultural elite and the younger generations.
Tightly controlled Turkmenistan has so far largely maintained Russified last names.
There is also a renewed drive in Central Asia to change the Soviet-era names of cities, villages, streets, and schools.
Kazakhstan has adopted a "roadmap" for 2022-25 for replacing what the authorities call the "ideologically obsolete" names of geographical locations.
Such campaigns do not sit will with Moscow, which still holds a significant sway over the region.
In November 2022, Russian lawmakers fiercely condemned an initiative in Kyrgyzstan to rename Bishkek's four districts that have kept their communist-era names: Lenin, Sverdlov (named after a Soviet politician), Birinchi Mai (May 1), and Octyabr (October, for the October Revolution).
Russian politicians and media described it as a "call to de-Russify Bishkek" and suggested the process should be stopped "at the earliest stage."
Mixed Feelings
Alisher Ilhomov, an expert at London-based Central Asia Due Diligence, says the new wave of "returning to original names in Central Asia in recent years has been fueled by Russia's invasion of Ukraine."
"This movement…is a symbol of our deep desire to restore our national identity, which has been under pressure for many years," said Kazakh journalist Ghaziza Uzaq, who removed the Russian -ova suffix from her surname.
But not everyone is willing to follow the suit.
"My first name is Parvona. But in line with Tajikistan's regulations, in my passport it is spelled with the suffix -i, making it Parvonai," a Tajik student in the Russian city of Kazan told RFE/RL.
"In Russia, my professors call me Parvonai, and I have to explain to everyone that I am Parvona. I'll change my name to make my life easier in Russia," she said.
According to official figures, 323 Kyrgyz nationals dropped their Russified last names in favor of national surnames in 2024. In the same period, the number of those who changed their traditional Kyrgyz surnames to Russian-style last names exceeded 3,000, according to the Kyrgyz government figures.
